August 24, 2012

If you saw my post yesterday about the layered liquids experiment then you know I found it in a book we got recently. Well on the opposite page was the bobbing bouncing raisin (or as I’ve seen it called elsewhere the dancing raisin) experiment and just so happens we had a container of raisins handy.

First we started off with this small spice container and 7-Up but not much luck. I figured we needed more soda and more fizz.

Unfortunately our only bigger glass wasn’t totally clear but we still had fun watching what happened. I wasn’t sure what to really expect and dropping the raisins in was like dropping those alka-seltzer tablets into water. Instant fizz.

And then the cool reaction started as the raisins which had sank to the bottom slowly started getting covered in bubbles and next thing you know they were rising to the top and then falling back down. The book we were using explained how the bubbles stick onto the raisin so when they rise they take the raisin with them and as the bubbles pop at the top the raisin sinks again.

Soon the experiment turned into a game of whether or not my daughter could catch the raisin before it sank back down. It was surprisingly hard to do it since as she stuck her fingers in the bubbles would pop and the raisins sank like a rock. That kept my daughter amused for awhile until the soda started to lose its carbonation.

This is the book we used and you can purchase it through my store if interested.

August 23, 2012

Have I mentioned how much I love being an Usborne Books & More consultant? One reason is that I get to try out some amazing books because I really don’t like to sell books I haven’t read and enjoy myself. Today my soon to be 5 year old and I busted out our new book, Big book of Science things to make and do, for our afternoon activity. She picked out the Layered Liquids experiment.

First we had a cup full of cold water and food coloring. Note that I didn’t realize we should have been doing this in a separate cup and not the container we were going to be making layers in so after coloring the water we poured it back into the measuring cup.

Next came the cooking oil. The directions just say to add 4 TBSP to the jar but I thought it would be fun for my daughter to see what would happen if you add food coloring. It was neat seeing how it stayed in a little blob like in a lava lamp instead of mixing with the oil. Even stirring wouldn’t get the food coloring to mix and I had her explain her observations about the difference in behavior of the food coloring in the water and oil.

Then we slowly added the water to the jar (pouring it down the side of the jar) and watched as the water sank below the oil. How cool right? Thankfully since I’m rusty on all my science knowledge the book had a blurb explaining about the difference in density between oil and water caused the water to sink. I did have to simplify saying that the water was just heavier even though I know it’s not the most accurate description but oh well. You can’t really see it too well in the picture but it was also neat to see how the green food coloring we had put in the oil got sucked down into the water layer as well.

Finally we added some corn syrup to the bottle and watched that sink below the water and created three distinct layers. The green is the corn syrup, the black (it was supposed to be purple) is the water and the yellow is the oil.

After that we just played around with the mixture like stirring it up and watching them separate again. We also tried adding more food coloring and watched as it slowly sank through the oil into the water layer.

Not long after this my 2 year old woke up and wanted to play as well. It didn’t take long for the concoction to be spilled and that was that for this experiment but we had a blast. Even when daddy came home he was watching the experiment and making suggestions on things to try out.

This is the book we used and you can purchase it through my store if interested.

August 16, 2012

I know I’ve been MIA for awhile but I was taking a killer class for my post-MLIS certificate that took up every waking hour. But I’m back and wanted to mention this really cute book. For anyone with more than one child this is a must read.

Life was good for Davy with doting parents who adored everything thing he did and then along came a bother…I mean brother…and then another…and then another…until he had 12 little brothers. They followed him everywhere and wanted to do everything he did and it drove him crazy. That is until one day they developed their own interests and no longer followed him. Suddenly Davy was feeling very lonely when along came a baby sister! And she followed Davy everywhere and wanted to do everything he did which made Davy very happy.

This was an extremely cute book and I enjoyed reading it along with my daughter who is almost 5. She has a 2 year old brother and this was the perfect book for her as she’s now dealing with her brother wanting whatever she has or wants to do whatever she’s doing. I’ve found when she’s about to have a meltdown after fighting over chairs, books, etc. with her brother or angry because he keeps following her I just have to mention Davy. I tell her “aren’t you glad you have just one brother and not 12 like Davy?!” It never fails she laughs and says “Yes!”. She’s amazingly good with her younger brother and I’m glad we read this book to help her deal with her younger brother.